Whoops, I left you a note under my alter-ego:-) I forgot to sign out of that account! - Lois

posted by avaland at 5:31 pm (EST) on May 26, 2008

Sarah, how are you? Just thought I'd check in and see what you were up to. Best, Lois

posted by avaland2 at 5:29 pm (EST) on May 26, 2008

Venice?! Lovely. I was there briefly two years ago:-) darkmans? what is this? I have "the Gathering' on order but am unlikely to get to it until my studies have been completed. Sigh. Best, Lois

posted by avaland at 8:26 pm (EST) on Nov 3, 2007

Well, it seems my previous post, in its entirety, has failed to show up, so I must recreate it! I was also somewhat disappointed in On Chesil Beach. I much admire McEwan, he is truly an artist. There are some wonderful prose passages in the book which I noticed and admired greatly. I did find myself becoming a bit impatient with the story. Perhaps I expected a story as compelling as the prose it is saturated in. Don't know. While I admire the man and his work, I don't think he walks on water. Best, Lois

posted by avaland at 7:05 pm (EST) on Apr 8, 2007

sarah, I'm really hoping the rest of my previous message shows up! I have no idea what happened to it!

posted by avaland at 4:01 pm (EST) on Apr 6, 2007

Good point about the mothering in Moral Disorder. I have finished Thomas Wharton's very delightful Logogryph and now must decide what's next...decisions...decisions... Best, Lois

posted by avaland at 3:51 pm (EST) on Mar 26, 2007

Proust? I'm very impressed:-) I liked Moral Disorder, some stories better than others. I found the character interesting in that she seemed to go along with everything. There were times I wanted her to stand up for herself. It did give me the feeling I was looking at her life through a window, or a photo album. I really need to reread some of her older books... Best, Lois

posted by avaland at 4:34 pm (EST) on Mar 20, 2007

I agree about The Abortionist's Daughter, the better read along the same lines is The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage, sort of a good, mid-weight read, won't win any prizes though.

I'm moving very slowly through the Shirley Hazzard novel I'm reading. Too many distractions and I'm only getting a chapter a night done before I fall asleep! It's definately not a book I want to consume quickly or while distracted. Her writing is delightful (the metaphors so original!) and I feel as if I am watching the characters through a window.

Library Thing has certainly not helped relieve my too-be-read pile...

I still hope to get to On Beauty before the Orange Prize longlist comes out in March!

posted by avaland at 10:44 pm (EST) on Dec 8, 2006

So what are you reading these days:-) I still haven't read On Beauty but I've picked it up on CD so now it's in two piles.

Did I invite you to the Atwood group yet?...do you do groups? Well, the invite is coming, don't feel obligated, but when you get a minute check it out.

posted by avaland at 4:59 pm (EST) on Dec 5, 2006

P.S. I started The Inheritance of Loss last night and I'm really enjoying it so far...

posted by avaland at 4:23 pm (EST) on Oct 12, 2006

Yes, thanks for noticing. I'm officially on vacation this week so I thought I'd spend a little time each day putting more in. I've run into some interesting challenges. I started by entering my reading from a log I've kept since about 1997. But many of the books I've read are advanced readers copies; some of which I keep, others of which I return to the bookstore for others to read, and yet others get tossed. I have the same problem with mysteries. I tend to read them in between other kinds of books as sort of literary palate cleansers and I don't keep all of them. And I rarely keep audiobooks.

I got to wondering if I should be logging in my reading OR my actual library or both. The library represents only some of what I've read and want to read, so one would need to see it all to get the total picture... I'll have to think about this a bit more. I prefer to make most of my connections around my current reading...

Joint account or not. Then, there is the problem with my husband's books, the merged and tangled library we share.
He has an IMMENSE library of science, science fiction and science fiction reference; about a quarter of the poetry is his also. If I list all of his books, it will completely throw off the kinds of connections I'm hoping of making with my books and reading. And we read some of the same authors, so who gets to list the book in their library? Iain Banks, China Mievlle or Jonathem Lethem, for example.

I suppose the answer is to have two accounts and list whatever we want. It's unlikely I would use this as the definitive database for what's in this house.

The job of entering all these books is daunting! And I'm terrified I'll move things around!

Thanks for listening...

posted by avaland at 4:20 pm (EST) on Oct 12, 2006

I just finished the forthcoming China Mieville (Un Lun Dun) so it's, once again, decision time. [On Beauty] has been in the pile for over a year now, so maybe I will take a cue from you and dive in (it will be either that or the Desai, The Booker winner...).

posted by avaland at 6:56 pm (EST) on Oct 11, 2006

You might like this though; it much more sophisticated than [Little Women] which is essentially what would be today considered a YA novel. Brooks drew on the life of Bronson Alcott, Louisa May's father, to flesh out March's character.

posted by avaland at 5:12 pm (EST) on Oct 11, 2006

Yes, it's the story of Mr. March, the absent father in Little Women. Well-done companion to the classic, not always easy to do! I didn't like the ending of Year of Wonders, I thought she should have ended it with her getting on the boat; but I was willing to give her some latitude as it was her first novel. The new one shows much growth as a writer, I think.

posted by avaland at 2:49 pm (EST) on Oct 11, 2006

Hi,

Nice library. Great taste in fiction. I see you really like Gwendolyn Brooks' Year of Wonders; have you not read her latest, March?

posted by avaland at 8:00 am (EST) on Oct 11, 2006